The document describes the software architecture for running the WEPP erosion model in the USDA NRCS cloud computing environment. Key points include: - WEPP simulations are run as web services on servers that can adapt to usage demands. Related services provide land management, soils, climate and other data. - The Conservation Resources Land Management Operations Database and other databases provide standardized land management and crop data used by multiple models run as services. - The Cloud Services Integration Platform developed by Colorado State University supports over 200 environmental modeling web services, including those used for WEPP.

1. WEPP Software Architecture in
the NRCS Cloud Computing
Environment
Jim Frankenberger
Computer Engineer
USDA-ARS, West Lafayette, IN
SWCS International Annual Conference
July 29, 2019

2. Collaborators
• Olaf David – Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• Research Scientist, Principal OMS/CSIP Architect
• Jack Carlson – Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• OMSLab Coordinator, Integrated Erosion Tool
• Mike Kucera – USDA-NRCS, Lincoln NE
• Agronomist/Acting Ntl Erosion Specialist/Ntl Erosion Database Steward

3. Software Architecture Overview
• WEPP User Interfaces: what the user
sees
• Web services and cloud computing:
how the model runs
• Cloud Services Integration Platform
(CSIP): how servers support models
• Conservation Resources Land
Management Operations Database
(CR_LMOD): data for model inputs
• WEPP related web services: soils,
climate
• Watershed related WEPP web services,
work in progress
User
Interfaces
Servers, web
services
Databases

4. WEPP at NRCS Scale
• Single hillslope profile; user can
specify length, steepness, shape.
• WEPP models a single transect
• Can have multiple management
sections – cropped areas, grass
strips
• Single soil specified
• Simulations run for 100 years
and outputs averaged.
• Climate generated CLIGEN model
with PRISM adjustments

5. WEPP Web Interface
WEPP Model
inputs
WEPP Model
outputs

6. Management Selection

7. Management Editor

8. Soils – Mapped Based Selection

9. Model Outputs - Soil Loss Graphs
• Default simulation length is 100 years
• Soil loss values are averaged over the length of the management rotation.
• Data for graphs are supplied as text from the simulation.
• User interface determines graph display types.

10. Model Outputs - Cover Graphs
• Management schedule and detail
parameters define crop growth and
residue changes through time.
• Different graphs for each management
section of the hillslope

11. Additional Outputs
• For multiple regions on slope results listed for each section
• With varying climate over the 100 simulation years annual statistics
are shown for several model outputs related to water balance.
• WEPP produces 90+ daily outputs

12. Integrated Erosion Tool (IET)
• ESRI ArcMap Add-In
• Uses the same WEPP model services as the web interface
• Also runs wind erosion model (WEPS) to give a complete erosion
assessment
• Also computes:
• Soil organic matter trend
• Soil tillage intensity
• Air particulates (PM10)
• Farming operation fuel use

13. IET User Interface Management Editor

14. Web Services and Cloud Computing
• Software applications are run on servers
• Individual applications (web services) do very specific tasks
• Web servers can load balance to distribute requests to run services
across many physical processors
• WEPP is currently running on a cloud configuration at Colorado State
University and also a single server at NSERL for testing.
• USDA maintains has its own data center where WEPP services will
migrate to.
• Major commercial companies supplying cloud computing services are
Amazon (AWS), Google, IBM and Microsoft.

15. Web Services
• Separation of concerns – design software that is modular with distinct
tasks.
User Interface (Web/HTML,
ArcGIS/C#)
Clients
Server
Internet
Management
Service
Soils Service
Climate
Service
WEPP Model
Service
WEPS Model
Service
Other model
services…
Other software programs

16. Web Services
• Modular - each service does a specific task
• Scalable – as demand increases more computing resources can be
used
• Archived/Logging/Audits
• Easily updated - no user intervention
• Can have multiple user and program interfaces to business/science
logic
• Share data between applications
• Standard communication between client and servers – HTTP + JSON

17. Cloud Services Integration Platform
• CSIP = Cloud Services Integration Platform
• Developed by Colorado State University, used by NRCS
• CSIP is a scalable “Model-as-a-Service” Platform tailored for the
delivery of model and data services within the environmental domain.
• Over 200 services https://alm.engr.colostate.edu/cb/project/csip
• Different applications and user interfaces can use the same services:
• Field-To-Market –The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (FtM)
FieldprintCalculator (FPC) calls the same CSIP services and data as IET and
WEPP web interfaces.

18. CSIP Services https://alm.engr.colostate.edu/cb/project/csip

19. CSIP Services
NRCS Soil Data Mart
PRISM Climate Data
Mart
NRCS Conservation
Resources Database
NRCS Conservation Resource
Land Management Database
(CR_LMOD)
NRCS Reference Tables
Database (state, county)
Datastores backing CSIP services
Integrated Erosion Tool (IET) ArcMap
interface uses 19 CSIP services.

20. CSIP Services - WEPP Related

21. Land Management Operations Database
(CR_LMOD)
• A set of CSIP web services originally derived from the RUSLE2
management database.
• 20,000+ management templates containing land-use operation dates
for tillage, planting, harvest, residue managements.
• Organized by crop management zones (CMZ)
• Also contains detailed model parameters for WEPP and WEPS to
simulate each operation and plant.
• Can be consumed by multiple models
• Each model responsible for how it implements the operation,
vegetation and residue components of the templates

22. CR_LMOD Services
• Management templates - http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-
crlmod/d/management/3.1
• Data used to populate user interface management editor

23. WEPP Operation Parameters
• Used to represent different
WEPP processes
• CR_LMOD contains WEPP
detail parameters

24. WEPP Crop Parameters • 38 model parameters for WEPP
crop growth
• Each CR_LMOD crop record
contains a set for WEPP and
WEPS

25. CSIP Services Data Exchange
• Request sent to server and web service returns results

26. CSIP Soils Related Web Services
• Additional services built on SSURGO web services
• Communicate with SSURGO web services
• Request to server contains polygon for area of interest
• Response from server contains soils COKEYs in area of interest
• The WEPP model service receives the COKEY of soil to use. The
detailed soil parameters specific to WEPP are retrieved using another
service.

27. CSIP Climate Services
• Uses CLIGEN model with optional PRISM adjustments
• CLIGEN simulates daily weather for use in WEPP and WEPS based on
observed historical weather station data statistics.
• The CLIGEN database is derived from climate data from 1974-2013.
• PRISM is a gridded climate dataset, 4K grid sizes for WEPP and WEPS.
• The PRISM database consists of monthly averages for precipitation,
maximum temperature and minimum temperature.

28. CSIP Archiving and Logging
• The CSIP platform provides support for administrators to view
previous runs and diagnose any failed simulations.
Service that was run
Link to download all files
used/created
Client IP that made
request

29. Current Development
• WEPP watershed as a web service
• Replacing TOPAZ watershed delineation with TauDEM
• Field Scale area of interest – user outlines a field
• Small watershed – user specifies an outlet
• User interface based on Catena GIS web platform developed by CSU.

30. Summary
• WEPP simulations are run on server cloud configurations that can
adapt to usage requirements.
• The WEPP model web service is based on the CSIP framework
• Related web services for land managements, soils, climate data
support the WEPP user interface and also the model simulation.
• CR_LMOD web services and databases support other models.
• Other web services based on CSIP are available that do various
environmental modeling tasks.

31. END

32. Additional Outputs
• View detail WEPP model input and output text files
• Primarily used for debugging
• Links to files are returned to interface as part of response from a simulation

33. Integrated Erosion Tool (IET)

34. Web User Interface Components
• More software “platforms”
• Key concepts
• Separation of data and how it is presented (styling)
• Use open-source
• JavaScript libraries used
• jQuery, Bootstrap – interface presentation, layout
• Knockout – maintains model specific data independent of how page is viewed
• Leaflet – mapping interface library

35. CSIP Climate Services
• JSON response includes link to the climate file that can be used in the
WEPP simulation (wepp.cli)
• Other links point to CLIGEN PAR file and PRISM adjusted file

36. CSIP Climate Services

38. CSIP Climate Services
• Uses CLIGEN model with optional PRISM adjustments
• CLIGEN simulates daily weather for use in WEPP and WEPS based on
observed historical weather station data statistics.
• The CLIGEN database is derived from climate data from 1974-2013.
• PRISM is a gridded climate dataset, 4K grid sizes for WEPP and WEPS.
• The PRISM database consists of monthly averages for precipitation,
maximum temperature and minimum temperature.
• The CLIGEN web service: http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-
climate/m/cligen_prism/2.0

39. CSIP Soils Related Web Services
• Web Service – http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-
soils/d/wwesoilparams/1.0
• Request to server contains polygon for area of interest
• Response from server contains soils COKEYs in area of interest
• The WEPP model service receives the COKEY of soil to use. The
detailed soil parameters specific to WEPP are retrieved using another
service:
• http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-soils/d/weppsoilinput/1.0

40. CR_LMOD Services
• Operation Parameters - http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-
crlmod/d/operation/3.1
• Crop Parameters - http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-
crlmod/d/crop/3.1
• Residue Parameters - http://csip.engr.colostate.edu:8083/csip-
crlmod/d/residue/3.1
• Numbers at the end of URL allow different versions of the data to be
referenced.

41. CSIP Services Data Exchange
Detail WEPS and WEPP crop parameters are contained in JSON response from web
service

42. CSIP Services Data Exchange
• Uses JSON text and HTTP to communicate with web services
• JSON Request = formatted text
• Request sent to server and web
service returns results

43. Soils – Using an External Web Service
• Uses SSURGO soil data access SQL wrapped in a web service:
• https://SDMDataAccess.sc.egov.usda.gov/Tabular/post.rest
• Dynamically loads choice lists based on selection for survey area or
soil name.